Those who live according to the flesh have their minds set on what the flesh desires; but those who live in accordance with the Spirit have their minds set on what the Spirit desires. The mind governed by the flesh is death, but the mind governed by the Spirit is life and peace.
If we place our hope and future in the hands of our unchanging, unflinching God who never leaves us or forsakes us, we’ll find healing and freedom. We’ll be able to see something on the other side of all the pain. Something good. Something we know will be so worth whatever it takes to get well.
God isn’t afraid of your sharp edges that may seem quite risky to others. He doesn’t pull back. He pulls you close.
I’d believe I had prayed about things, but in reality I’d only worried about them, talked to friends about them, and tried to figure out how to solve them myself.
But Jesus doesn’t refuse to reach out to us in the middle of hurts and heartbreaks and mess-ups.
A girl without a daddy felt to me like a girl without a place in this world. After all, if he couldn’t love me, who would ever love me?
My identity must be anchored to the truth of who God is and who He is to me.
The world’s plan always leads us to places of pain, loneliness, and a deep ache for belonging that seems just out of reach.
Good things are coming. I know it. Today’s disappointment is making room for tomorrow’s appointment. Let’s look for those good things with great intentionality.
The roots of this friendship that once nourished me in deep places now ache with a barren flow. The conversations and connections have been hollowed out and replaced with a stabbing throb of a pierced soul. The arrow dug deep.
The beliefs we hold should hold us up even when life feels like it’s falling apart.
Our disappointments in ourselves – in our lives – aren’t just isolated pieces of evidence that we fall short and life is hard. No, they are the exact places where we can break secrecy with fellow humans and show up to say, “Me too. I get it. I understand. You aren’t alone. Together, we can find our way home.
Feelings are broken boards. Only truth is solid, unchanging, and stable through and through.
What happened yesterday can’t be changed, but it can be forgiven. That’s your miracle in the mess.
If we place our hope and future in the hands of our unchanging, unflinching God who never leaves us or forsakes us, we’ll find healing and freedom. We’ll be able to see something on the other side of all the pain. Something good. Something we know will be so wroth whatever it takes to get well. So instead of running from the pain, we embrace it as necessary. We must feel pain to heal the pain. If we never allow ourselves to feel it, we won’t acknowledge it’s there.
But I remembered Ephesians 6:12, and it seemed to fit: “For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.
The promise is a glorious hope to hang on to for the future. But it’s His presence in the process that will steady our hope for today.
Comfort isn’t a solution to seek; rather, it’s a by-product we’ll reap when we stay close to the Lord.
Your life may be dark today. But make no mistake, there is a powerful work happening. Jesus is in the process of turning your hurt into wisdom. And this wisdom will be life! Jesus is saying to us, “Nothing you desire compares to this wisdom. I will turn your pain to peace. I will turn your heartbreak into honor. And it will be worth it.
They say time heals – and I think this can be true – but only if that’s truly the goal here: healing. Time grows the seeds that are planted, watered, and fertilized. Plant beauty, grow beauty. Plant thorns, grow thorns. Time will allow for either.